The Volkswagen Area View Camera supplies live images from around the car into the cockpit. This enables the driver to view his immediate surroundings through four cameras that provide an all-around perspective of the vehicles situation. The system helps when trying to maneuver the vehicle in tight areas or in difficult situations by removing the blind spots you would regularly expect. 

On  Saturday the 2nd of September four members of the WR Phillips team spent two hours collecting donations for the annual Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Taranki fundraiser. 

Darrin, Michelle, Ryan and Max split into teams of two and split the task into an hour each, Darrin and Michelle forming the 10-11am shift and Max and Ryan forming the other 9-10am shift.  There was plenty of banter leading into Saturday with a healthy rivalry formed. The teams fundraised at Countdown Vogeltown with lots of foot traffic helping the flow of donations immensely. 

"It was great to get out and help such a worthy cause and it was heart-warming to see how happy people were to donate."  said Michelle von Pein, Vehicle Administrator. 

The WR Phillips team raised $795.30  which was nearly 25% of the total $3760 that was raised on Saturday.  The funds donated will assist MS Taranaki with their mission of provide and maintain the highest level of services available with the funds available.  

The Blind Spot Monitor uses sensors in the rear to monitor the area alongside and behind the vehicle.  This system means a vehicle up to 20 metres away can be detected.  The System begins working from a speed of 15 km/h and can alert the driver to a potential hazard through a flashing LED in the exterior mirror. The LED will come on in the mirror on the side which the hazard has been detected. If the driver continues to signal to change lanes, the same LED will flash more brightly and draws the drivers attention to the hazard. 

Here at WR Phillips, we decided that to commemorate the arrival of the toughest truck in the land, The Triton Huntaway, we would make our own.   Enter the Maui.  The Maui is a Mitsubishi GLX-R 4WD Double Cab, optioned out to make the best value truck, even better value.  

We've taken the 17" Alloys and upgraded them to a 20" DMT Fuel Wheel and Rim Combo, giving the 4WD an even tougher stance and better off-road ability.  To make a great looking truck stand out even more, we have fitted the Maui with Red and Black Decals and Powder Coating.  A Bonnet Protector and Window Tints finish the look.  For those that want to take the Maui off the beaten track, we've fitted it with a Nudgebar, LED Light Bar, Tuffdeck and Towbar. 

​With the 2.4L MIVEC Turbo Diesel powering all four wheels, a 965kg payload and Fuel Economy of 7.6L/100km all for the Drive-Away Price of $49 990 the Beast has just got Bigger. 

​Even when you’re buying a brand new car, saying goodbye to your old car can sometimes be a bitter-sweet experience.
While technology now provides all kinds of ways to sell your current car privately, there are many great reasons to choose to trade-in your vehicle at a dealership. These can include:

Convenience: out with the old, in with the new
When you choose to trade-in your old car at the dealership from which you are buying a new car, you can simply drive it in, negotiate a trade-in value, and drive away in your brand new car. Assuming you’re prepared and have all the documentation you need for any finance you require, the whole process also need  only take an hour or two. Keep in mind that dealers will accept a broad range of makes and models for trade-in too: a Mitsubishi dealer won’t just accept used Mitsubishi vehicles.

Time: eliminate the stress and hassle
Selling a car privately can take an enormous amount of time and effort. You have to clean and prepare your car for sale, and take high resolution photos and upload them along with a detailed description of the vehicle’s specs. You then need to field countless enquiries from potential buyers, and arrange to meet them either at your home or at a third party location. All the while, you need to keep your vehicle in pristine condition so it can be sold at any time. All of this can be very time consuming and stressful. By contrast, simply driving your car into a dealer is quick, seamless and hassle-free.

Money exchange: keep it simple
When you sell a car privately, you have to haggle and negotiate on price, and then collect cash or a cheque for your old car. This can involve trips to the bank, and potentially, waiting for funds to clear. If you wish to secure finance for your new car, allocating the cash from your old car, your new purchase can get complicated. When you sell your car at a dealer, however, your trade-in value is simply taken directly off the cost of your new car. This makes the entire financial transaction far simpler and more straightforward.   
Keep in mind that if you decide to use a dealer to trade-in your vehicle, there are also things that you can do to maximise your trade-in value. These include: 

Do your research
Determine exactly what your car is worth by comparing makes and models that were made in the same year as your car, and the same interior and specs options.

Be realistic
As with any sale, it’s important to be realistic about the value you can potentially get for your vehicle. Use online tools as a guide, and take a look at some used car advertisements to see what other customers are hoping to get for vehicles with the same specifications as yours. Make sure you’re comparing apples with apples. If looking at private sales, also make note of how long a vehicle has been advertised at a particular price: if it’s been online for several weeks, the asking price is obviously too high.
Are you looking to buy a new vehicle soon?
Contact
​Bill Sonntag
Phone: 06 968 5679 Ext 725 
Mobile: 0274 572 711 
Email: bill@wrphillips.co.nz

We love to play hard in our Mitsubishi 4WD’s whether it be taking the boat down to the water or heading out on a caravan holiday or even taking the horses and float to the forest. But overloading your vehicle can be dangerous and understanding exactly what your tow car can do is one of the most important lessons to learn.

We’ve had a go at simplifying it for you!

A headline grabbing towing capacity claim doesn’t reveal the full story. Most vehicles can only tow their maximum braked trailer weight with a light load otherwise they exceed their design limits for weight. And that is the asterisk which usually sits behind those bold 3500kg claims.

First things first, let’s have a look at the vehicle specs, comparing the 16MY Triton and a competitor. In order to calculate true and balanced towing capacity we need to crunch some numbers.
The most important number to work out is the maximum payload. The maximum payload is what extra weight can be on or in your car when you’re towing the maximum braked towing capacity, ie the number that is being claimed in advertising.
Assuming the two drivers above are looking to tow the maximum they can tow with their respective vehicles we can work out what the maximum payload is.
There are two factors maximum payload is determined by, Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM1) or Gross Combination Mass (GCM2). Both GVM and GCM are limiting factors as neither of those numbers must be exceeded when towing.
From these two limiting factors the lowest calculated number determines the available payload. In the above case looking at the 16MY Triton GLS in Manual Transmission the remaining payload is 603kg, almost double what competitor A can still carry at 341kg.
Then have a think about how many people you want to take with you. In our scenario we’re taking 4 men weighing 80kg each and a child, weighing 40kg. This brings the remaining payload down to 243kg in the Triton and it pushes competitor A above its certified GCM limit by 19kg.
We then need to pack in fishing rods, an eski, a tackle box, all the things which help make it a great day on the water. Say this weighs a combined weight of 40kg’s our Triton still has 203kg of weight available. While competitor A slips further into the red being overloaded by 59kg.
Now our Triton driver has a pretty successful day out on the water. He and his mates have a great day catching 10kg of fish. So on the drive home they still have 193kg of payload available. Whereas over in Competitor A’s ute they are now over by a whopping 69kg. Let’s hope they don’t encounter a weigh bridge on their way home!

The Mitsubishi Triton is all about balanced and safe towing. Providing you stay within the specified maximum trailer limit, tow vehicle capacity as per your owners manual and use the recommended towball load you will never exceed the maximum combination weight, leaving you to focus on what’s important, catching fish and having a great day out with your mates!

1 — Payload = GVM - Kerb Mass – Towball download at ATM
2 — Payload = GCM - Kerb Mass - ATM.
Disclaimer: Content is correct at date of publishing. Vehicle related content in this article refers to 16MY Mitsubishi Triton.

Maps:
​Let Google Maps lead the way. It’s easy to get where you’re going with free voice-guided navigation, live traffic information, lane guidance and more.

How The Lane Assist Feature Works.

One of the most modern features available on VW models today is Lane Departure Warning, which helps you avoid straying outside your designated lane. You may also hear the system commonly referred to as Lane Assist. So, how does Volkswagen Lane Assist work?
The Lane Assist system will alert drivers when the vehicle appears to be veering outside of its lane. It does this through both audible warnings and a visual indicator that appears in the instrument cluster. When driving above 40 mph, the system can actually counter-steer to keep car and driver within the lane markings (except for Touareg models).
So, how does it work? Volkswagen Lane Departure Warning uses a camera to monitor the lane markings on the road. Then, using an algorithm, calculates a risk level for the vehicle actually leaving the lane.
Since Lane Assist uses the visible lane markings on the road, it will not engage on roadways where lane markings cannot be detected. That being said, the system will work in dark or foggy driving situations, adding to the impressive nature of Volkswagen’s Lane Departure Warning technology. Better yet, the system remains disengaged when a turn signal has been activated and can be overridden by the driver so as not to become a distraction or inconvenience.

When you’ve been driving for a long time, and even sometimes when you’ve only just learnt how to do so, it can become second nature. It’s not uncommon to tune out, listen to some music and find that, before you know it, you’ve arrived at your destination.
While it’s great to barely have to think about what you're doing, you don’t want to end up falling into bad habits. Staying safe on the roads is all about developing good habits – so why not use these tips to help you switch any negative habits with positive ones.

​The Basics
Bad Habit: holding the steering wheel incorrectly.
Everyone likes to be as comfortable as possible when they get behind the wheel, although sometimes this comfort comes at the expense of safety. While it may feel like you’re more in control with your hands on the inside, always try to keep your thumbs on the outside of the steering wheel. If something unexpected happens causing the wheel to jolt or spin, you could seriously damage your hands. Imagining the steering wheel is a clock, and keep your hands at ten and two for the grip that is the safest and gives you the most control.
Good Habit: adjusting your settings to perfection.
Before every trip, do a quick walk around to check there is nothing amiss - the tyres are inflated and have enough tread, the lights are all working and your mirrors are intact. Once inside the car, ensure your seat is in the ideal position and that your mirrors are adjusted so you have the greatest field of view possible.

Wet Weather

Bad Habit: going too fast in inclement weather.
While you may know the road to work (or home) like the back of your hand, different environmental factors such as rain, can change the conditions drastically. You may feel it’s safe to travel at the regular speed limit, however with the road being slippery coupled with diminished visibility from the rain, you will be in much better stead to ease off on the accelerator by five or ten kilometres to make up for the change in conditions.

​Good Habit: increasing your visibility.
Even if you are driving in the rain in the middle of the day, it is advisable to have your headlights on so that oncoming traffic can see you from as far away as possible, particularly if the rain gets heavier, reducing visibility.